Author Archives: paleololigo

Scientist (Paleontology, Geochemistry, Geology); Writer (Speculative and Science Fiction, plus technical and non-technical Science); Mom to great boy on the Autism spectrum; possessor of too many hobbies.

Stink Bug – Chapter 6

The sun was low on the horizon and the shadows very long when we reached the stand of trees. It was dark in there, all shadows and flashes from the few remaining streams of light able to penetrate the thick canopy of trees. The canopy was abrupt, changing from a nearly unobstructed view of the darkening skies to a solid roof of leaves within a few feet. The edge of the canopy was almost perfectly straight. It bothered me.Continue reading “Stink Bug – Chapter 6”

Mephitic

I’m part of a Facebook group associated with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The group is all the WriMos from the Rochester, New York region. NaNoWriMo is a November thing, but writers write year-round. For fun, we’ll occasionally challenge each other with writing prompts.

This prompt was to write something involving TPS reports. You know, those hideous things from the movie Office Space. We later discussed the wonderful word “Mephitic.” In the end, I decided that I needed to write a scene involving the words “mephitic” and “malarkey,” TPS reports, and an unexpected visit from Mephitis mephitis. Let’s see if it can be done.Continue reading “Mephitic”